A Florida dentist was fired after he was seen in a video tearing down and carrying crumpled posters with photos of Israelis who were kidnapped and killed in Miami. Ahmed Elkoussa, a 31-year-old dentist, and Xave Ramoul, described as an 'Instagram model,' were caught on camera tearing down posters of Israeli hostages in the Brickell neighborhood on Tuesday.
By Wednesday morning, Elkoussa was terminated from his position at CG Smile, the dental office where he was employed in Miami. The video of the two men, which was shared on social media by the account stop_antisemitism, has garnered more than 11,000 interactions and nearly 1,300 comments on Instagram alone Wednesday.
Fired for His Actions
However, it appears that the Instagram accounts of both men have been deleted as of Wednesday evening. "We are very sad to see this situation upon waking up,' the office wrote on Instagram. 'Our office CG Smile is not in favor of any of the actions taken by Dr. Elkoussa. We do not support terrorist groups, actions or supporters."
"He has been removed from our staff, all of our social media pages and groups. CG Smile DOES NOT support terrorist groups actions or supporters," the post added.
The owner of the dental practice, Juan Carlos Izquierdo, said that his office has faced severe backlash following the actions of Elkoussa, actions which he strongly condemned.
"I believe it's not right. It's against our position on the entire situation,' Izquierdo said. 'Later on, I got a call saying he wanted to explain and that after he explained, everything would be cleared, and I told him I don't want to hear it," he told NBC6.
Taty Guiribitey, who identified herself as the owner's mother on Instagram, said that her husband, who is the owner's father, is Jewish. She claimed that their family would never tolerate anything against Israel.
"I am the mother of the owner of CG smile and my husband, his father is Jewish, we would never allow anything against Israel, especially now that our friends are experiencing a terrifying situation in Israel," she said.
"As a member of a Jewish family, we open our doors to all ethnicities, but unfortunately we cannot predict the attitude of others. Our family will always assert our unwavering commitment to justice and truth."
Social Media Applauds Mother
Several users in the comments section expressed their support for the decision to dismiss Elkoussa, having previously called for his termination. Moreover, many turned to Yelp to leave 1-star reviews for the dentist and called for his license to be revoked.
They argued that his repugnant actions demonstrated that he is unfit to treat patients. "Doctors are supposed to take care of their patients. The Hippocratic oath literally says, 'Never will I betray them or risk their wellbeing to satisfy my vanity. I will not hurt my fellow or put a knife to his flesh if I don't know how, or give him an herb to soothe his pain, even if he begs for it in anguish, if it might take away his breath,'" a user noted.
"Someone who supports a terrorist organization is going directly against this. His license should get suspended!"
Another user wrote: "Be careful, this is a terror-supporter who celebrates the Hamas massacre against 1,400 Israeli men, women, children and babies. He may be a dentist by day, but at night, he walks the streets of Miami, taking down photographer of the Israeli toddlers captured as pow by Hamas terrorists."
"He may be dangerous to patients, and may be a jihadist. Do not risk your life. Avoid this terror-supporting 'doctor.' God knows how he may harm Jewish patients or those who do not subscribe to his genocidal views."
"Doctors who celebrate murder should be disbarred. Genocidal supporting psychopaths have no business being doctors, not pass themselves as humanists."
The two men, Elkoussa and Ramoul, seem to have deleted their social media profiles after facing online backlash due to the video.
As of now, they have not made any public statements regarding the video or the dentist's termination. The two were seen in multiple locations across the nation ripping down flyers of hostages captured by Hamas.
Also, this week, an NYU student, Yazmeen Deyhimi, who is a junior and previously worked for the Anti-Defamation League, admitted to removing posters of Israeli hostages.
She blamed her actions on "misplaced anger." Deyhimi, who identifies as an activist, acknowledged tearing down the hostage flyers that were affixed outside NYU's Tisch Hall on Monday and discarding them.
A video of this incident has since gone viral and has led to criticism, with many urging the university to take action against the three perpetrators accountable.
